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Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 77 runs in the primary ODI in Colombo.
Charith Asalanka celebrates the wicket of Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed (Picture credit: AP)
Bangladesh experienced a dramatic batting collapse under lights, permitting Sri Lanka to bag a 77-run win in the primary ODI in Colombo on Wednesday.
Chasing a modest goal of 245, Bangladesh appeared to be positioned at 100/1. A sudden downfall saw them lose seven wickets for just five runs inside 26 deliveries, being bowled out for a paltry 167.
The collapse began with the run out of Najmul Hossain Shanto, who was in good form during his 71-run stand with Tanzid Hasan. The previous, who had scored twin tons of within the drawn Galle Test, was looking dominant until he attempted a dangerous second run and was dismissed by a pointy throw from debutant Milan Rathnayake from deep midwicket.
This moment shifted the momentum and Sri Lanka capitalised.
Spin bowlers Wanindu Hasaranga and Kamindu Mendis then dominated the bewildered Bangladesh middle order, sharing seven wickets between them. Bangladesh crumbled under the pressure.
Hasaranga struck twice in his first over, trapping Litton Das LBW for a duck and watching Janith Liyanage take a spectacular catch at mid-off to dismiss Tanzid for the highest rating of 62.
Mendis, who bowls each right-arm off-spin and left-arm orthodox, soon joined in, his variations proving an excessive amount of for the stunned tourists.
For Hasaranga, it was a memorable night as he reached his a centesimal ODI wicket, becoming the second fastest Sri Lankan to realize this milestone in 64 matches, just behind Ajantha Mendis.
Hasaranga finished with 4 wickets for 10 runs.
Sri Lanka incurred a five-run penalty for starting the thirty sixth over of Bangladesh’s innings late, having been warned twice earlier within the evening.
Skipper Charith Asalanka’s resilient hundred anchored Sri Lanka’s innings after they struggled at 29/3. The southpaw blended caution with aggression to attain his fifth ODI century.
Asalanka received support from the lower middle order, guiding Sri Lanka to 244 before being bowled out with 4 deliveries remaining. His performance was vital in a game where composure under pressure was the important thing difference between the perimeters.
Bangladesh skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz acknowledged his team’s shortcomings. “We began well, however the runout hurt us. Our middle order did not handle the pressure. We would have liked to construct a partnership,” he said. “It’s tough to lose, but we’re higher than this. We are going to bounce back in two days.”
Asalanka was named the Player of the Match for his performance. “I aimed to play in line with the situation. We were dissatisfied with our finish within the last 10 overs. We knew we were a number of runs short, however the fielding was outstanding today,” said Asalanka.
“We emphasise lots on fielding because we consider catches win matches. This was evident today. We have now performed well in ODIs over the past yr, beating Australia and India. We’re ranked fourth on this planet and aim to deal with some shortcomings to complete this series strongly.”
The second ODI of the three-match series can be held at the identical venue on Saturday.
(With AFP Inputs)
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